Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Blockade’ Strait of Hormuz After Peace Talks Fail

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that marathon talks between the United States and Iran had failed to immediately produce a deal to fully reopen the strait and end the war. Iran’s top negotiator had suggested further talks were possible.

President Trump said Sunday that the United States will enforce a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, stepping up pressure on Iran after marathon peace talks between top Iranian and American leaders in Pakistan ended without a breakthrough.

The announcement by Mr. Trump plunged the already brittle truce into further uncertainty. Vice President JD Vance and the chief Iranian negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, met in Pakistan over the weekend, but did not reach a deal to fully reopen the strait and end the war. A naval blockade could be considered an act of war by Iran.

“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” Mr. Trump wrote in one of two lengthy social media posts on the talks.

Mr. Trump had conditioned the two-week cease-fire on Iran ending its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil and gas in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s own blockade of the strait sent global oil prices soaring by more than 50 percent during the monthlong conflict, which began in late February.

In practice, however, only a few ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz since the cease-fire came into effect last Tuesday. U.S. officials blame Iran, which they say has sought to impose tolls on ships passing through the waterway. Mr. Trump said the U.S. Navy would “seek and interdict” any vessel that paid the fee to Iran.

Iran’s leaders have given no indication that they intend to relax their control of the waterway, which they view as a crucial bargaining chip. In a defiant post on social media earlier on Sunday, Ali Akbar Velayati, a member of Iran’s negotiating team, said “the key” to the Strait of Hormuz “is firmly in our hands.” Iran War Live Updates » | Tyler Pager, Aaron Boxerman and Isabel Kershner | Tyler Pager reported from Islamabad, Pakistan. | Sunday, April 12, 2026